Just for fun - If you could rename the Panthers

[ncbobcat]

Carolina Collard Greens

or Smok'n Hogs

FYI- Panthers--Cougars are extinct in the Carolinas now and have been since the early portion of the last century though people "claim" to see them in isolated cases without any visual evidence.

[ncbobcat]

Referring back to the Panthers, the locals in the mountians pronounced them as 'painters' just like people who make a portrait. I lived in WNC for several years and studied under one of the most reknowned natural scientist in those parts while in college.

[SMACKDAB]

Carolina Collard Greens

or Smok'n Hogs

FYI- Panthers--Cougars are extinct in the Carolinas now and have been since the early portion of the last century though people "claim" to see them in isolated cases without any visual evidence.

You can start with this one, then we will see how extinct you become.

The Eastern Cougar is said to be extinct except for a small population in the

Everglades. However, there have been multiple sightings of cougars and

black panthers in WNC. The wildlife experts deny there are big cats in WNC.

They claim people are seeing house cats, bobcats, or yearling bears. But

there was a well documented case in McDowell County where a dog was

killed and the paw prints around the body was that of a large cat. Experts

verified that it was indeed cougar tracks. Still the wildlife people deny.

http://ashevilleparanormalsociety.com/mysteryanimalsII.html

[SMACKDAB]

Then you can gather what you want to believe out of this one...........

http://farshores.org/abc_us04.htm

Owen says the number of sightings always increases after some word of the panther, also referred to as the cougar or mountain lion, makes its way into the news. A creeping figure combined with high expectations can cause the mind to draw false conclusions, Owen said.

But even Owen admits that if the panther/cougar were ever to reclaim its homeland, the conditions right now are ideal.

The eastern cougar once inhabited a vast swath of the eastern seaboard, and sightings have been reported across the region recently. In North Carolina, reports have come from rural Eastern North Carolina and the far western mountains, said Fred Bonner, editor of Carolina Adventure and a retired biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bonner refers to the panther as wildlife's answer to the UFO or Loch Ness monster. "With all those sightings, there has got to be some truth in it," Bonner said.

Charles R. "Buster" Humphreys Jr. of Wilmington goes even further. Humphreys is author of the 1994 book "Panthers of the Coastal Plain." He claims to have recorded well over 500 sightings -- half of them sightings of coal black panthers, which wildlife experts say have never lived in the state.

What could account for a cougar comeback? The conditions for the panther have turned around in recent years. A greater focus on habitat preservation has resulted in the conservation of hundreds of thousands of acres in Eastern North Carolina alone. More than 100,000 acres have been set aside, in fact, for the red wolf recovery effort in the Alligator River area.

Meanwhile, the prey base for panthers is thriving. The cats feed primarily on deer, as well as some smaller animals.

[rayzor]

panthers/cougars are around one has been seen around iredell county. a couple friends of mine saw it crossing the road one evening. i don't think that they are migrating back this way, most likely the result of someone keeping one as a "pet" and then releasing it or letting it get away. there were some people i lived near in wilkesboro (actually millers creek) a few years back that had quite a few exotic big cats on their property. i think one got loose and hurt some girl and they got into some trouble and had them taken away. more than likely there are others who had them and then let them go or had them escape and didn't tell anyone.

it wouldn't take much for a couple of them to find each other and start breeding. they weren't supposed to have any big cats in england but there was some trend among the elite in the 70s to keep them as pets but then they found something else trendy and ended up releasing a lot of them. now they are gaining in population in the countryside and killing livestock.

they could be around in the carolinas and have small enough of a population to not be noticed much. we have coyotes in yadkin and surry county now that we didn't a few years ago so new species are moving in. the conditions are right for them to live here, i don't know why they wouldn't/couldn't make a comeback.

[MadHatter]

<looks at our Charlotte industry>

Paper Pushers?

Bean Counters?

Hey,I resemble that remark.

[Hawk]

There were, and still are all of those, including the Black Panther, which used to be common to see here as well, along with the wolf are all making a comeback thanks to Federal wildlife preservation programs.

I mean hell....Wild Turkeys were almost extinct here a few decades ago, and some of the above animals mentioned abover certainly had a toll in that data.

Bears, all over the state are more common now with the growth, especially pushing them towards the Eastern Coast.

so you recommend the Charlotte Wild Turkeys then?

Easy to get a sponsor!

[kingtarheel]

the Carolina Flight or The Carolina Commanders or

the Carolina Stallions

Stallions with the same colors as my beloved and departed:

[SMACKDAB]

so you recommend the Charlotte Wild Turkeys then?

Easy to get a sponsor!

Bigfoot's would be good with me as well, or Sasquatches.

[SMACKDAB]

Also, on the Stallion's part of this.....you guys do know, that a Stallion, last for about 10 seconds once penetrating a mare.

I would like more "stamina" in a name for my team.....please.

Just a lesson in reality.

Stallion doesn't mean poo, except about 10 seconds of glory(depending on the reciprocation of horses involved).....and even then it's becomes a crap shoot depending on which hole he hits.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

Carolina Werewolves sounds pretty sophisticated, if you ask me.

[Cold Cat]

Carolina Coyotes

To accustomed to the Panthers tho...

[Hotsauce]

How about the Carolina Wife Beaters?

[Captroop]

But...if I had my choice: The Carolina Flight

Not going to help out wine and cheese label.

Carolina Rebels

I like this one a lot. Don't know what the logo or mascott could be, but would be great for spirit. More blue collar to counter the hoity toity image. And can you imagine the whole stadium doing a "rebel yell?"